Yankees Great Joe Pepitone Passes Away at 82

Former Yankees great Joe Pepitone has passed away at the age of 82.

Sad news in the Yankees world.

Former Yankees great Joe Pepitone has passed away at the age of 82, the team announced on Monday. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

"The Yankees are deeply saddened by the passing of former Yankee Joe Pepitone, whose playful and charismatic personality and on-field contributions made him a favorite of generations of Yankees fans even beyond his years with the team in the 1960s," the Yankees said in a statement.

"As a native New Yorker, he embraced everything about being a Yankee during both his playing career — which included three All-Star appearances and three Gold Gloves — and in the decades thereafter. You always knew when Joe walked into a room — his immense pride in being a Yankee was always on display. He will be missed by our entire organization, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all who knew him."

In eight seasons with the Yankees from 1962-1969, Pepitone slashed .252/.294/.423 with 166 home runs and 541 RBIs. He also made the All-Star team three times and won three Gold Glove Awards during this span. Pepitone helped the Yankees win the World Series in 1962.

Pepitone is known for making a costly error in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series, which later allowed the eventual winning run to score.

Following the 1969 season, the Yankees traded Pepitone to the Houston Astros. He would later play for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Yakult Atoms before calling it a career after the 1973 season.

Pepitone retired with 219 home runs, 1,315 hits, and a .258/.301/.432 slash line across 1,297 games

Following his big-league career, Pepitone was a professional softball player. He was a minor-league coach in the Yankees system from 1981-1982 and even served as the major league hitting coach in '82. He also worked in the team's front office in different stints as well. 

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